In modern surgical practice it is frequently necessary or desirable to employ electrosurgical tools to effect cutting and simultaneous electrocoagulation of blood and other fluids at the surgical site. A common product of electrocoagulation is smoke and vapor which can obscure the surgical site. Also, the smoke and vapor is generally irritating or noxious to the surgeon and the operting room staff. Thus, prior art tools generally have been provided with suction inlet means directly adjacent to the electrocoagulation member to remove the offensive gases and vapors as they are generated.
These surgical tools are generally relatively small, and the suction inlet is likewise small and narrow. Because of the high fluid flow rate required to remove substantially all of the smoke and vapor which is generated, the suction inlet of a typical prior art device is known to emit a hissing noise which is surprisingly loud. Although this suction noise is not a problem during short term exposure, many surgical procedures are sufficiently time consuming that the hissing noise becomes a significant irritant to the surgeon and others in the immediate area. This noise can also contribute to the fatigue of the surgeon and the operating room personnel.
In recent years the use of laser surgical devices has grown rapidly, and these devices also tend to create large amounts of smoke and vapor. Thus these devices are generally also provided with vacuum induction means adjacent to the laser impact site for immediate removal of the smoke and vapor byproducts. As more of these instruments come into use, it has been noted that the noise radiated by the vacuum induction means is extremely aversive, due to the amplitude and constancy of the noise.